JP Stroke Foundation

“How college kids binge drinking antics have become a viral business: the creators call it I’m smacked! Getting smacked!” 

That iconic viral Tik Tok trend made me a bit more aware of our drinking habits. For those of you who are not familiar, this trend is a compilation of videos of friends drinking with a voice-over of a news reporter explaining what binge drinking is and how it started developing in the Gen Z culture. After watching a couple of the videos, it does make you want to call up all your friends and get “smacked,” as they say. But have you ever wondered what these drinking habits could cause in the future?  

Most of us have consumed alcohol years before it was legal. According to studies, the average age that people recall having their first drink was 13 years old in Canada. Exposure to alcohol at such a young age may contribute to a possible lifelong relationship with the substance. How can drinking too much alcohol relate to heart health? Well, many years of excessive alcohol in middle age can increase your risk of having a stroke at a rate comparable to high blood pressure or diabetes (1). Most Canadians have up to 3 drinks a week (3), meaning that alcohol is consumed regularly in our day-to-day lives, and if we are not mindful of this consumption, it could quickly lead to health problems that later lead to stroke. This is not to say that you should never touch alcohol again. However, it is imperative to be mindful of any substance that you ingest. 

Now you may also be asking how much is too much alcohol? According to the findings in one article, people who have an average of more than two drinks a day have a 34% higher risk of stroke compared to those whose daily average amounts to less than half a glass. Although diabetes and high blood pressure are also significant factors – drinking can also be a key risk factor. Controlling our alcohol consumption is typically something we might not think a lot about and a habit that could start developing early in our lives. It is critical to get ahead of the pattern before it develops into an unhealthy lifestyle. Many cultures and religions have ceremonies and traditions that incorporate alcohol. It can be easy for these traditions to dominate and lead us to forget about our bodies and health.

Let’s look more into the study itself to understand what happens to our bodies and how we can prevent these adverse outcomes. The study followed 11,644 middle-aged Swedish twins in order to see the effects of genetics and lifestyle factors on the risk of stroke (3). Almost 30% of participants had a stroke! The study found that individuals that were heavy drinkers in their midlife (50-60s) were more likely to have strokes, even after accounting for genetic and lifestyle factors (3). 

Therefore, we can see that alcohol consumption could become dangerous if not handled correctly, especially in our 50s and 60s. We may not be highly aware of our consumption at that age and think we know how to manage our alcohol correctly, but that could not be further from the truth. 

It’s essential to remember that often, it isn’t the direct consumption of the substance that is causing these strokes but the indirect effects of long-term consumption. Here are some of the compounded effects related to heavy alcohol consumption over a long period of time:

• Increased Blood Pressure — Alcohol consumption at high levels could cause higher blood pressure, which could increase the risk of stroke (2)
• Increased Weight — High alcohol levels could make it very difficult to maintain a healthy weight (2) 
• Increased Risk of Diabetes — Alcohol consumption could lead to unusual changes in your body’s production and use of insulin, thus possibly causing type 2 diabetes (2)
• Increased Risk of Liver Damage — Alcohol is a known cause of liver damage. When the liver is damaged, it stops making substances needed to help the blood clot (2)
• Increased Risk of Atrial Fibrillation — Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which the heart beats irregularly. High alcohol consumption could lead to irregular heart beats and impact blood flow throughout the body (2)

Once many of these irregularities develop in our lives, it’s possible that we could have an increased risk of stroke. Just because drinking may lead to these additional risk factors does not mean that you should never look at a bottle of your favourite drink again. It just means that you should be much more self-aware and keep your health in mind even when you are out and about getting “smacked” or just having a glass of wine before bed. 

Author: Camiliya Rouzmeher

Refrences:

1. “Alcohol and Stroke – Can Alcohol Abuse Increase Stroke Risk?” Vertava Health, 22 Apr.2021,vertavahealth.com/alcohol/stroke/
2. Reynolds K, Lewis B, Nolen JDL, Kinney GL, Sathya B, He J. Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Stroke: A Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2003;289(5):579–588. doi:10.1001/jama.289.5.579
3. Yang, Wookjin, et al. “Drinking Patterns and Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Middle-Aged Adults.” Stroke, 5 Nov. 2020, http://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.032144.